Damien Hirst Signed Work on Paper – Butterfly with Hearts Motif

🦋 Damien Hirst Butterfly with Hearts – Signed Original Ink Drawing on Paper

An intimate and expressive work exploring transformation, fragility, and the emotional resonance of form.
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🖋️ Subject & Medium
Original black ink drawing on paper, centred on a delicately rendered butterfly, accompanied by two small heart motifs. Executed in a restrained monochrome palette, the composition relies on line quality, gesture, and spatial harmony to communicate both visual clarity and symbolic nuance.
The butterfly—one of Damien Hirst’s most iconic and conceptually loaded motifs—is here paired with two subtle hearts, introducing a quietly emotive dimension. This addition gently shifts the work beyond formal study, inviting reflection on sentiment, connection, and the transient nature of beauty.
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✍️ Composition & Technique
The composition is characterised by immediacy and assurance. Rendered in fluid black ink, the line appears continuous and deliberate, suggesting a confident, unbroken act of drawing without visible correction.
The butterfly balances symmetry with expressive variation; while structurally coherent, the wings reveal nuanced shifts in pressure and movement, lending vitality and presence.
The two hearts, positioned laterally, establish both visual rhythm and conceptual contrast. Their smaller scale introduces hierarchy, while their placement stabilises the composition. Symbolically, they soften the graphic intensity of the butterfly, adding an understated note of tenderness rarely emphasised in Hirst’s more formalised works.
Ink on paper reinforces intimacy—capturing the immediacy of the artist’s hand through subtle irregularities, tonal variation, and the organic absorption of ink into the surface.
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🏛️ Historical Context
Since the early 1990s, butterflies have been central to Hirst’s exploration of life, death, and the aesthetics of natural form. In his kaleidoscopic works, they embody both exquisite beauty and inherent mortality.
This drawing belongs to a more personal category, where the motif is distilled and reinterpreted through direct, hand-drawn engagement. Such works provide a rare glimpse into the artist’s unmediated process, free from large-scale production or fabrication.
The inclusion of hearts subtly broadens the symbolic framework—introducing themes of affection, vulnerability, and the human tendency to project emotion onto nature. The result is a work poised between observation and feeling, structure and spontaneity.
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👤 About the Artist
Damien Hirst (b. 1965) stands among the most influential figures in contemporary art. A प्रमुख member of the Young British Artists (YBAs), he rose to prominence in the late 1980s.
His multidisciplinary practice—spanning painting, sculpture, and installation—frequently interrogates mortality, belief systems, science, and the human condition. His works are held in major international collections, including Tate and MoMA.
The butterfly motif remains one of his most enduring contributions, symbolising both beauty and impermanence within contemporary visual culture.
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✒️ Signed
Signed by the artist in black ink at the lower right. The signature is clear, well-proportioned, and harmoniously integrated within the composition, affirming authenticity.
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🖼️ Framed
Presented in a recently fitted Larson-Juhl gilt moulded frame, chosen for its refined classical profile and its ability to complement the tonal restraint of the drawing.
A crisp white mount with a gold fillet enhances depth and focus, guiding attention toward the central image.
Glazed with AR99 museum-quality anti-reflective glass, ensuring exceptional clarity while offering protection. Supplied with new hanging hardware, ready for immediate display.
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📐 Size
Image: approx. 27 × 20 cm
Framed: approx. 43.25 cm (H) × 51.25 cm (W) × 3.5 cm (D)
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📜 Provenance
Private Shire Collection, United Kingdom
Acquired via Adam Partridge Auctioneers

Exhibited: Icons of Transformation: Contemporary Works on Paper, Lord Hill Museum, March 2026
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity issued by The Prince of Cards

Numbered on the paper inside verso DH410
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💚 Why You’ll Love It
✔️ Original hand-drawn work offering direct insight into Hirst’s creative process
✔️ Iconic butterfly motif enriched with rare heart symbolism
✔️ Combines immediacy with layered conceptual depth
✔️ Elegantly presented in Larson-Juhl gilt frame with AR99 glass
✔️ Ready to hang—ideal for collectors and refined interiors
✔️ Strong decorative appeal with recognised contemporary relevance
✔️ A distinctive piece within Hirst’s wider oeuvre
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🔍 Condition Report
Good overall condition. Light surface wear to the paper, including a minor dent and slight edge wear consistent with age and handling.
The ink remains strong and well-preserved. Recently professionally mounted and framed with a clean mount and museum-quality AR99 glass.